1. Technical Field
This disclosure is directed to electronic circuits, and more particularly, to supply voltage adjustments based on reported temperature values.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advances in integrated circuit (IC) technology have increased the number of transistors on a single IC chip. The operating frequencies of some IC chips has also increased. The large number of transistors and increase in operating frequency has resulted in a corresponding increase in power consumption by IC chips. A corresponding increase in thermal output has also accompanied the increase in transistor count and operating frequency.
Management of power consumption and thermal output has increase in importance with the above-mentioned advances in IC technology. This is particularly true for portable devices that may rely on a battery for at least some of their operation. One manner in which power may be saved is to reduce the operating voltage of an IC. The power consumption by a given IC can be calculated as the square of the operating voltage. Accordingly, reduction of the operating voltage can have a significant impact on power consumption. However, ability to reduce the operating voltage may nevertheless be limited. Circuits within a given IC typically need a certain amount of voltage to operate properly. Furthermore, the operating voltage may include a guard band that is a surplus voltage added to the required voltage. The guard band may allow for factors such as power supply noise, as well as for process, voltage, and temperature variations while ensuring that circuit internal to the IC receive sufficient voltage for proper operation.